FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of entities that are related in some way to mailing activities. Mailers, represented by block 102 in FIG. 1, generate mail pieces (not shown) either on a piece-by-piece basis or in batches. The mailers 102 deliver their mail pieces to mail carrying agencies (represented by block 104)—which may for example be a postal authorities, parcel carriers, overnight express companies, etc.—and the mail carrying agencies in turn transport and deliver the mail pieces to their intended recipients (represented by block 106). The mail carrying agencies carry the mail pieces pursuant to product offerings (e.g., classes of service) which the mail carrying agencies promulgate and which may be subject to approval and/or regulation by regulatory bodies (represented by block 108).
The mailers 102 typically use mailing equipment (block 110) which is manufactured and distributed by mailing equipment manufacturers (block 112). Third party service providers (block 114) may provide services related to dissemination of postal rate information, management of carrier product offering information, etc.
Typically, items of mailing equipment are microprocessor-based, such that operation of the mailing equipment is controlled by software and/or firmware that programs the embedded microprocessor. It is customary for computer programmers hired or retained by the equipment manufacturer to write the software/firmware to control the mailing equipment so that it produces mail pieces that are in compliance with a service offering of a mail carrying agency. In some cases, the mailing equipment is programmed to offer the user a choice of various classes of service. The mailing equipment responds to the user's selection of a particular class of service option by generating the mail piece(s) and any required accompanying document in accordance with the selected class of service under control of an application program previously written by the equipment manufacturer and previously installed in the mailing equipment to comply with the requirements of the selected class of service. It is often the case that the software in question is installed in the mailing equipment before the mailing equipment is shipped to the customer, or upon installation of the mailing equipment at the mailer's location.
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is an international body that coordinates policies among member national postal authorities. The UPU has proposed EPPML (Extensible Postal Product Model and Language) as an XML-based standard for describing mail-based service offerings by postal authorities. One purpose of EPPML is to reduce the effective lead time required for adoption by mailers of new or revised services offered by postal authorities. However, even with EPPML, conventional practices by mailing equipment manufacturers are likely to entail a considerable lapse of time from introduction of a new service offering to actual use by mailers. This is because the equipment manufacturers may need to direct its programming staff or contractors to write new software or revise existing software for its mailing equipment. It is typically a matter of at least a few months for an equipment manufacturer to generate new software suitable for configuring an installed base of equipment (or newly manufactured equipment) to operate in compliance with a new postal service offering. Thus new service offerings by postal authorities are as a practical matter subject to significant delays in adoption owing to lead-times for equipment software updates.